Read A Marine of Plenty for Free Online Page A

enough, and they planned to serve the first shift their Thanksgiving meal by ten hundred hours.
    Back in the kitchen, Charlie’s words lingered in her mind. Robbie had loved being a Marine, but never shared that side of his life with her. The more she thought about it, the more she realized all of his letters home focused on items she mentioned to him—her school, her projects, her love life—or lack thereof. He always heartily approved of the latter. But he didn’t share his loneliness, his pain, or his fears. When they talked about plans for him, it had always been in the abstract.
    At twenty-two hundred hours, the sergeant actually kicked her out of the kitchen. He brought in two Marines who would watch over the cooking food, both of whom apparently volunteered, and as much as she wanted to stay and do her job, she wavered on her feet. So far no one she encountered had known her brother. They knew of him, they’d seen him around, but they hadn’t known him well.
    Hadn’t he had any friends?
    She fumbled with the buckles on her jacket when a pair of hands pushed aside her fingers and took over. Blinking, she stared at Charlie. When did he get here?
    “You’re tired.” No judgment hung on the words, but a tiny frown creased his brow. It was a sexy frown. Not that frowns were typically anything. Wow, my brain is muddled .
    “A little.” She dragged her teeth across her lower lip, the pinch of pain helping to clear some of the fog from her brain. “I didn’t know you were coming back.”
    “I told Hall to call me when you were ready to go, remember?” He secured the jacket flaps around her neck and buckled her helmet on for her. “Come on, let’s get you to your room. When is the latest you absolutely need to report in here?”
    “Hmm.” She studied the ovens. The Marines in charge of basting and watching over the slow-roasting meats worked cheerfully enough. All of the breads and desserts were ready. That left veggies, which really wouldn’t take that long, if someone else peeled the potatoes. “Sergeant Hall?”
    The man glanced up from the paperwork he filled out. The kitchen was already spotless, the evening crew having scrubbed it down and put away any remnants from the meal. “Yes, ma’am?”
    “Would it be too much trouble to have someone peel all the potatoes we have so I can make a couple of pans of roasted to go with the mashed and sweet potatoes?”
    His solemn face broke into a smile. “Not at all. Private Miller will take care of all of them for you.”
    The other men grinned quickly before their expressions sobered. She almost felt sorry for Miller, but too tired to get him out of whatever earned him the assignment. “Thank you.”
    “Our pleasure, and thank you, ma’am, for the meal. We’re all looking forward to it.”
    A dim glow of satisfaction warmed her belly and chased away the chill of her darker thoughts. “Honestly, the pleasure is mine.”
    “Only if you get some sleep.” Charlie nudged her toward the door. “Ma’am.” A layer of teasing buoyed the last word, as though he tweaked her on the nose.
    Trudging after him obediently, she couldn’t quite smother a yawn. “Do you guys add bricks to this jacket every time I take it off?” It definitely seemed heavier than earlier, and the helmet itched. She’d joked once that she could never follow her brother into the military—camo wasn’t her color—but the heck with the fashion of it, it weighed too damn much.
    “Could be. We like to protect our valuables.” Despite the light quip, he halted at the door to the outside. “Remember, stay right behind me.”
    As before, three fully-armed, uniformed men waited right outside and fell in around her. She’d barely gotten a real glimpse of the base since arriving, and it didn’t seem like she would get a look now, particularly the way Charlie hustled her along. The air had turned a lot cooler, almost nippy, and she suppressed a shiver. The setting sun seemed to have